Bishop called me on Wednesday after Abinadi died and asked me to speak this Sunday. So I only had a few days to prepare. This is the best I could do on short notice.
Tammy’s Sacrament Meeting Talk
September 22, 2019
In my nearly 5 decades on this earth, I have witnessed the decay of society. Just a few decades ago what would have been considered unthinkable and absurd is now considered normal. Isaiah taught that in the latter days good will be called evil and evil will be called good.¹ This prophecy is being fulfilled.
Not only does society demand that we tolerate sin and perversion, but the world now also requires us to embrace sin, perversion and evil as normal behaviors. If we don’t, we are labeled as judgmental, hateful and yes, even evil. The world will not tolerate opposition. The irony is that the world’s views claim to be all-inclusive and loving. Which couldn’t be further from the truth. Society and the world now teach that evil is good and good is evil.
Unfortunately, many who were on the covenant path, with strong testimonies, have fallen to the enticings of the world, which is Satan’s philosophy, and have veered off the covenant path into darkness and apostasy.
I share a good portion of my DNA with several individuals who have fallen. As I’m sure each of you are also acquainted with those who have chosen to leave the covenant path.
Our agency is so vital to Heavenly Father’s Plan, that we cannot make other people’s choices for them. Despite our pleas, Heavenly Father will never take someone’s agency away. So, what can we do to help those loved ones who have strayed?
Elder Ulisses Soares, of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, in April 2019 General Conference said, ““Elder Soares…unfortunately, some of my friends or dear ones have distanced themselves from the Lord. What should I do?” For those of you who are right now experiencing these feelings of sadness, agony, and maybe regret, please know that they are not totally lost because the Lord knows where they are and is watching over them. Remember, they are His children too!
“It is hard to understand all the reasons why some people take another path. The best we can do in these circumstances is just to love and embrace them, pray for their well-being, and seek for the Lord’s help to know what to do and say. Sincerely rejoice with them in their successes; be their friends and look for the good in them. We should never give up on them but preserve our relationships. Never reject or misjudge them. Just love them!”²
It is hard to see those you love making bad choices and leaving the covenant path. I have personally shed many tears mourning loved ones who have left the happiness of the Gospel. One thing we need to remember is to never give up hope. One of Satan’s biggest lies is to convince people that they are beyond hope. No one is beyond the Savior’s redeeming power.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don't have, or distance from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's atonement shines."³
Besides continuing to love and pray for loved ones who have left the covenant path, the best thing we can do is to stay on the covenant path ourselves, and be good examples of striving to live a Christlike life on the covenant path.
Elder Soares said, “Ultimately, keep living a worthy life, be a good example to them of what you believe, and draw closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ. He knows and understands our deep sorrows and pains, and He will bless your efforts and dedication to your dear ones if not in this life, in the next life. Remember, brothers and sisters, always that hope is an important part of the gospel plan.”2
Our loved ones will see our example and the happiness the Gospel brings, and hopefully have desires to return to the covenant path someday.
Sister Becky Craven said in the April 2019 General Conference, “As I reflect upon obtaining lasting happiness, I realize that sometimes we do find ourselves in the gray. Mists of darkness are inevitable as we journey along the covenant path. Temptation and casualness can cause us to subtly divert our course into the darkness of the world and away from the covenant path. For the times when this might happen, our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, has urged us to get back on the covenant path and to do so quickly. How grateful I am for the gift of repentance and for the power of our Savior’s Atonement.” 4
Staying on the covenant path requires daily effort. Our spirits, like our bodies, require daily nourishment to stay strong. Our mortal journey is full of temptations and trials.
This has been a rough summer for me. A couple of months ago my dad died. Not only did I lose my father but he was also one of my primary caregivers and my buddy that I did stuff with. So I’ve been dealing with a lot of change in my life. And to top it off, my dog died a couple of days ago. I could write a really good country song about my life.
Scripture says, "There hath no temptation (footnotes add tested, tried, proven) taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 5
I think the part of that Scripture we tend to overlook is the line that says, “but will with the temptation (testing, trying, proving) also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” So it seems that we sometimes do face more than we can bear on our own. This is when the Savior steps in and strengthens us, if we rely on His Infinite Atonement. Through that added strength from on high we become able to bear, and even escape the trials and temptations we must face.
Some people choose not to turn to God for help, but instead, try to bear their burdens alone. When they find their burdens too much to bear, some mistakenly turn to alcohol, drugs, and other vices to escape their pain and trials. Which, unfortunately, just adds to their misery. True happiness and relief from trials, temptations, and the burdens of life can only be found in turning to God and relying on Him for strength and comfort.
I have certainly turned to my Heavenly Father and Savior many times recently to ask for strength and comfort to get through the trials I’ve faced this summer. I testify that I have received the strength and comfort needed from the Godhead.
There have been several times when I have prayed for strength and comfort – when my burdens seemed too much to bear – that I have felt immediate comfort from the Holy Ghost. And I knew everything was going to be okay. Granted, my burdens had not miraculously changed or been lifted from me, but I received strength and comfort from on high to make my burdens seem lighter and bearable.
When I see people turning from God and leaving the Church, I wonder how I can stay strong and not fall like them. The answer is in my favorite Scripture, “"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." 6
In the last General Conference, the Prophet said, “Satan knows who you are and who you were premortally, and he understands the work that must be done before the Savior returns. And after millennia of practicing his cunning arts, the adversary is experienced and incorrigible.” He added, “The adversary is quadrupling his efforts to disrupt testimonies and impede the work of the Lord.” 7
We are living in the final minutes of the last hour before the Second Coming of our Savior. If Satan is quadrupling his efforts, then we must quadruple our efforts just to make it a fair fight.
We are each in a boxing match with Satan. He’s throwing four times as many punches at us as he once did. If we don’t throw more punches back, he will knock us out in no time. I’ve seen it happen to some once strong, very elect people. People are dropping like flies all around us. How do we prevent this from becoming our fate?
We must consciously, everyday, nourish our spirits by keeping the commandments and following the prophet so that we will have the spiritual strength to keep throwing punches at Satan and win our bout with him.
Every time we read our scriptures, pray, go to church, serve someone, or make a righteous choice – we throw another punch at Satan.
Parents need to increase their efforts in teaching their children the truths of the Gospel because Satan is working four times as hard on their children as he did on them.
Elder Soares said, “God’s prophets have consistently instructed that we need to raise our families “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”
and “in light and truth.”
President Nelson recently said, “In this day of rampant immorality and addictive pornography, parents have a sacred responsibility to teach their children the importance of God [and Jesus Christ] in their lives.”
“Brothers and sisters, the warning of our beloved prophet is a further reminder of our individual responsibility to seek to learn and to teach our families that there is a Father in Heaven who loves us and who has developed a divine plan of happiness for His children; that Jesus Christ, His Son, is the Redeemer of the world; and that salvation comes from faith in His name. Our lives need to be rooted upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, which might help us individually and as families to have our own spiritual impressions engraved in our hearts, helping us to endure in our faith.” ²
As we prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we must put forth effort every day to stay on the covenant path. Our foundation must be built on the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, if we are to have any chance of winning our personal bout against Satan. In doing so, we also serve as an example to others that may help them stay on or return to the covenant path, where true happiness is found. Don’t give up, brothers and sisters. We must continue to give Satan uppercuts, by living the Gospel, and continue fighting until the end. Relying on our Heavenly Father, His son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost to strengthen us, when we are too weak to continue fighting on our own. If we do, the eternal rewards will be beyond our comprehension. Of this I testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
References:
1 – Isaiah 5:20
2 – Elder Ulisses Soares, “How Can I Understand?”, April 2019 General Conference
3 -- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “It is Never Too Late” , April 2012 General conference
4 – Sister Becky Craven, “Careful Versus Casual”, April 2019 General Conference
5 -- 1 Corinthians 10:13
6 – Helaman 5:12
7 – President Russell M. Nelson, “We Can Do Better and Be Better”, April 2019 General Conference
